Pages

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Historic Haunts

Last month, I wrote my blog about ghosts of Virginia. Today, with an eye toward Halloween, my favorite holiday, I’m going to take us on a “tour” of haunted houses of the south. The history in haunted houses intrigues me as much as the prospect of ghostly funny-business afoot. Perhaps the Amityville Horror spawned a movie and an abundance of sequels, but the history of the house is actually quite recent. Murders in the latter part of the twentieth century aren’t nearly as intriguing as houses that may have been home to other-worldly beings for a hundred years or more.

One of the most notorious haunted houses was a farmhouse in Tennessee. The home of John Bell, a farmer in Adams, Tennessee, the Bell family was allegedly tormented by a spirit for years after an incident in 1817 when John Bell claimed to have shot at a creature with the head of a rabbit and the body of a dog. The creature disappeared, but the spirit made its presence known soon afterward. Scratching and knocking was heard in the home, while residents suffered hair pulling and other annoying assaults. Bell’s daughter, Betsy, took the brunt of the abuse doled out by the vengeful ghost. Supposedly, the ghost was the spirit of Kate Batts, a deceased neighbor who was said to have cast a vengeful curse on Bell from her deathbed. The Bell Witch became so famous that then-future President Andrew Johnson visited the home. Eventually, John Bell succumbed to illness, possibly the result of his experience with the Bell Witch. John Bell may have been poisoned, or perhaps the Bell Witch had her final act of vengeance with his death.

Less well-known is a house in Portsmouth, near the Virginia coast. A sea-captain who’d lost his wife in childbirth and later, his daughter to an outbreak of yellow-fever is said to roam the house where he once lived. Doors open and close and footsteps are heard on the stairs. Dogs have been known to bark at empty hallways. Unlike the Bell witch, the ghost in the Portsmouth house has never harmed anyone. Perhaps the heartbroken sea captain still wanders, seeking the loved ones he lost a very long time ago.

Sometimes, a house doesn’t appear to be haunted, but an object in the house demonstrates supernatural characteristics. An example is the portrait of Martha Hill, a Virginia beauty born at Shirley Plantation on the James River. The painting was once removed from the home and displayed as part of a travel exhibit. A well-respected witness reported seeing the portrait sway on its own from its hanging place in the exhibit. Months later, the portrait was stored in a closet for a period of time. Noise emitted from the closet disturbed employees until the portrait was removed. Eventually, the portrait was returned to its place in Shirley Plantation, and has ceased its restless motion. Could it be that the spirit of Martha Hill inhabits the portrait – while at home, she’s content and at rest – or were these incidents the result of coincidence? Perhaps we’ll never know.

One could devote a great deal of research time to the history behind haunted houses. Fanciful? Certainly. Enjoyable. Definitely, if you’re like me and enjoy a taste of the supernatural not. Whether or not you believe ghosts might be setting up residence in houses, the history behind these legends provides insight into the lives of the former occupants. Deaths due to disease and childbirth, love and loss, superstitions – these factors and more impacted the lives of those who came before us. The history of the occupants while they walked this earth is as fascinating as the speculation over the possibility they may still take up residence in their homes many years after their deaths.

11 comments:

Mary McCall
said...

Victoria:Loved your blog. One of my favorite places to visit is the graves of New Orleans. To this day, followers of Marie Laveaux still mark her tomb with an X in blood. It's absolutely covered with black x's. They say her spirit comes from the grave to bless or curse those who go by. I have to admit, I felt a chill in the air when we went by, but we had a great tour guide.

New Orleans' cemeteries are the spookiest thing, and they abound with good ghost stories. The Marie LaVeau thing is true. People leaves their x's all the time, and many believe she grants their wishes.Just yesterday I was just reading about Marie and the New Orleans cemeteries in Pat Fitzhugh's new book called Ghostly Cries From Dixie.

I agree, New Orleans cemeteries are super spooky. There is a shop in the French Quarter devoted to Marie Laveaux and an altar for her there that nearly everyone gets dizzy if standing in front of it for a few minutes.

As a working intuitive, I have been in many, many haunted places...even the Alamo! I go in as a skeptic, but open to whatever, and wow, have there been some experiences! Someone told me that the Haunted History, Haunted NY segment I particpated in can still be seen on Youtube and plays again every halloween.

Interesting blog, Victoria. Seems like ghost tours have cropped up in all the large cities here and there are so many shows on TV about ghosts and hauntings. Scares me. I'd rather stay away. But the stories are fascinating. I guess I prefer helpful or irrasible spirits (in books I've read) to the scary ones. Never have been much of a horror movie buff either.

There's a ghost tour in Colonial Williamsburg that I really liked...it's not at all scary, but the mood is wonderfully creepy. There's so much history there, and the tour focuses on the history of the "ghosts" rather than any frightening circumstances.

I've often wondered if the White House has ghost activity...given the tragic events that have affected many Presidents during their terms, it wouldn't surprise me.

There are ghosts in our house, but we do not know their story. The house was built in 1898 and as far as we know, nothing bad has happened here. However, this area was settled by whites in the 1700's and before that there was an indian village. My sister lives near the Shirley Plantation. I'll have to ask her if she has heard this story.New Orleans has been on my list to visit for a long time. One of these days, I'll comvince my DH to go.

Hearts Through History RWA Special Interest Chapter

Through this chapter we gather and discuss different aspects of historical romance, how they fit into the genre and how we, as writers, can further perfect and promote romance fiction. We are a tight-knit community of writers, both published and non-published, and we welcome new members of like mind and like passion to join us. http://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/

Followers

Follow by Email

August Contest

Seduced by History Blog is hosting a month-long contest in August. One winner will receive a ‘basketful of goodies.’ All you have to do is check in on each blog during the month, look for a contest question to answer and September 1-5, 2011 send in your answers to seducedbyhistoryblog@yahoo.com.

All entries must be received by midnight Monday, September 5, 2011 to be eligible for the drawing. A winner will be chosen from all those eligible on or about September 6, 2011 and contacted by email. Odds of winning will depend on the number of total number of entries received.